Mountain View woman sentenced for escape, theft

A 40-year-old Mountain View woman was sentenced Friday to a year in jail for escaping from a minimum security jail, two counts of felony theft and another of attempted felony theft.

Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura also ordered Mary Hamilton, aka Mary Lolita Santos, to serve five years probation. She will receive credit for time served on the jail term.

Hamilton escaped Jan. 13 from Hale Nani Correctional Facility off Highway 11 on the southern outskirts of Hilo. Asked by the judge how she escaped, Hamilton replied, “I climbed the fence. I jumped down, and I ran.”

According to police, Hamilton ran along Highway 11 and into the Puna-bound traffic lanes, where she stopped a blue van and jumped into the passenger side window. State correctional officers were able to prevent the van from leaving until they took Hamilton back into custody. The van then left the area.

The three theft-related charges are all for shoplifting incidents, all above the $300 threshold for felony theft.